Spoon with flexible sides

Abstract

A spoon includes a handle and trough for containing food. The trough includes a flexible wall extended from a peripheral edge for assisting in containing the food when the spoon is tilted from the horizontal. The flexible wall collapses when the spoon is placed in the mouth.

Having thus described the invention, it is now claimed:  
     
       1. A spoon for use in placing food into an associated mouth, comprising: 
       a handle portion;  
       a food-containing portion having a peripheral edge;  
       a flange portion extended upwardly from the peripheral edge, wherein associated food contained in the food-containing portion does not spill out when the spoon is maneuvered substantially away from the horizontal position; and  
       wherein the flange portion collapses when an associated mouth is closed over the spoon.  
     
     
       2. The spoon of  claim 1 , wherein the flange portion is constructed from silicon. 
     
     
       3. The spoon of  claim 1 , wherein the food-containing portion is constructed from a rigid metal, and, 
       wherein the flange portion is constructed from a thermoplastic, wherein the thermoplastic is over-molded onto the spoon.  
     
     
       4. The spoon of  claim 2 , wherein a first horizontal plane is defined by the peripheral edge, and, 
       wherein a second vertical plane is tangent to the peripheral edge food-containing portion, and,  
       wherein the flange portion forms an angle with the vertical plane at the tangent, the angle ranging between substantially 5 degrees and 15 degrees.